


A look into the role of Irish mythology as inspiration for Colfer's depiction of the People: an essay

by mentosmorii



Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Gen, Irish history, Meta, celtic mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 16:18:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mentosmorii/pseuds/mentosmorii
Summary: Although Colfer has stated before that he has drawn from his knowledge of Irish mythology, he has never stated specifically which myths informed his writing. As someone with a bit of a background in Irish mythology, I have made a guess at some of the sources of inspiration, explained a couple of references within the series, and analysed a few characters as having connections to Irish history/mythology.





	1. Chapter 1

“I grew up reading Irish myths and legends, so I had great fun putting a spin on them. I knew that there was no point in regurgitating other people’s stories, so instead I gave them a technological makeover.” Eoin Colfer.

 

Eoin Colfer has been asked about the influence of Irish mythology on his writing during various interviews, and his response is usually a sort of permutation of the above answer — “I grew up reading Irish myths and legends, [and] I… put… a spin on them” (Colfer). He admits that he was influenced by Irish mythology, and this admission of influence is usually enough to get interviewers to move along to the next question. I’ve looked through many of the interviews that he’s done, and I think I can say with confidence that there is not currently any interview available in which an interview presses him to be more specific and point to the myths and legends in question by which he was influenced. In all likelihood, I think that this is because once Colfer confirms that he did, in fact, take inspiration from Irish mythology, the interviewers think of pop culture Celtic mythology and move on. They’re likely aware of the fairy tales that have made their way into an outsider’s perception of Irish mythology, and as the series does pay homage to this genre of fae folk — the People follow the old fairy tale archetype of being clever, at various ends of the morality spectrum, and not too fond of humans — the mythology to which Colfer refers is actually more specific than this broad conception of what the canon of “Irish fairies” encompasses.

 

It makes sense that if an interviewer didn’t take courses specifically on Irish mythology, they’d have a limited idea of what that mythology describes. Irish history and mythology are intertwined, and before I attempt to break down the influence of Irish mythology within the book series _Artemis Fowl_ , I will first give some background information about Irish history.

 

**History**

 

The British first arrived on Ireland during the Norman Invasion of Ireland in the 12th century (well, not _technically_ British — although the people who came to Ireland were from England, many other barons came from France. The Normans, the Northern French, had taken over the English government only 100 years before. The people who arrived on the shore of Ireland in 1169 are generally categorized as Anglo-French, but the rule of the island remained in the hands of the British once the French were kicked out of British politics). Before this point in time, Irish history, laws, religion, and so on were kept by high-class bardic poets, the fili. Their history, culture, and tradition were kept orally, and with the arrival of the Anglo-French, this history was threatened. Bards were threatened or killed due to anti-pagan sentiment — pre-invasion history was so intertwined to Irish mythology that in the attempt to Christianize the island, history and mythology were lost or edited. When myths and history were written down by monks who came over from Britain, deities within the mythology would be made less powerful or erased due to the monks feeling squeamish about transcribing this pagan mythology. The written history that has survived from this era is therefore limited, and what does exist, may exist in various forms due to myths being transcribed in various different ways by different monks who chose to include different elements from the same myth. Any history that would’ve survived orally is limited, too, due to the speaking of the Irish language and practicing of pagan religion being criminalized. Sean Cahill recounts what life was like under British rule in his essay, “The Politics of the Irish Language Under the English and British Governments”

 

“The Statutes of Kilkenny in 1366 commanded that “if any English, or Irish living among the English, use the Irish language amongst themselves, contrary to this ordinance, and thereof be attainted, his lands and tenements, if he have any, shall be seized into the hands of his immediate lord” (Cahill)

 

Within Ireland, the keeping of pre-Christian mythology and history was either left in the hands of the monks from Britain who brought their cultural biases, or the keeping of this history was in the hands of seanchaidh (pronounced shananchie), whose name translates to “bearer of ‘old lore’” (old lore = seanchas).

 

How does this history connect to Colfer and the series as a whole?

 

As aforementioned, what Irish myths survived, did so either through word of mouth within communities (the seanchaidh route) or through written accounts of the myths that never gained real traction in Britain within literary circles due to an aversion to the pagan elements of the myths and anti-Irish sentiment. As such, when Colfer says in interviews that he was influenced by Irish mythology, he knows what specific myths he is referring to due to hearing the myths from his father as a child, or from reading them in books in primary school. Unless the interviewer is familiar with the history that I just mentioned surrounding Irish mythology and its suppression, they most likely assume that their view of it as “fairy tales, but Irish, I suppose?” is complete, which is not the case.

 

As someone with a rough background in Irish history and mythology, I am aware of some of the specific myths that the series is influenced by, and I will break this essay up into three parts to attempt to provide a holistic perception of the relationship between Irish mythology and the lore of _Artemis Fowl_. Part one will deal with when Colfer referenced Irish myths or history by name, part two will deal with when Colfer references Irish myths or history by content, and part three will be a brief overview of some interesting facts surrounding mythology, history, and names in the series.

 

**I. References to the names in Irish mythology and history**

 

The first book of the series and the eighth book of the series have the most frequent examples of names from Irish mythology. In the first novel, the most notable example of this is when Holly runs out of magic and is forced to complete the ritual by Root. As she flies over the Irish coast, she remarks:

 

“Finally the coast loomed ahead of her. The old country. Éiriú, the land where time began. The most magical place on the planet. It was here, ten thousand years ago, that the ancient fairy race, the Dé Danann, had battled against the demon Fomorians, carving the famous Giants’ Causeway with the strength of their magical blasts. It was here that the Lia Fáil stood, the rock at the center of the universe, where the fairy kings and later the human Ard Rí were crowned.”

 

Éiriú, Dé Danann, Fomorians, Giant’s Causeway, Lia Fáil, Ard Rí. I shall go over each of these terms in order.

 

Éiriú is just the Irish name for Ireland, and it is derived from one of the matron goddesses of the Island.

 

The Dé Danann, or the Tuatha Dé Danann (nation of the Goddess Danu), were the godlike figures that ruled the island in mythology. They were the fifth group of invaders to attempt to invade the island, and they came to Ireland from the “northern isles of the world, where they had been learning lore and magic and druidism and wizardry and cunning until they surpassed the sages of heathendom” (O’Conor). Once they reached the island, they fought over the control of Ireland with the Fomorians, a similarly powerful race of peoples who are portrayed as being either giants, sea raiders, or monstrous beings who came from the sea/underground. Whereas the Dé Danann have dominion over light, civilization, order, knowledge, and so on, the Fomorians are considered to be gods over chaos, darkness, death, blight, and drought. Eventually, the Dé Danann replaced the Fomorians as rulers of the island, and their relationship from that point was sort of… complex. Members from the groups will intermarry or strike up allegiances when necessary, and their relationship can thus be said to be similar to that of the Asgardians (Dé Danann) and the jötnar (Fomorians) from Norse mythology.

 

So, these two groups do fight with one another, yet their rivalry is not attributed to the creation of the Giant’s Causeway. Now, what is the Giant’s Causeway? The Giant’s Causeway is 40,000 interlocking, hexagonal basalt columns that start in North Ireland and stretch over across to Staffa, an island off the coast of Scotland. Irish mythology attributes the creation of this beautiful part of the Irish landscape to Fionn mac Cumhaill (spelled/pronounced Finn McCool), a legendary hunter whose stories are contained in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.

 

There are three versions of the myth that describe the creation of the Giant’s Causeway. In the first, the myth describes Finn, who is described in some legends as being a giant or, at least, supernaturally strong and tall, creating the land bridge in order to travel between Ireland and Scotland.

 

In the second, Finn falls in love with a giant woman over in Staffa, and he creates the Causeway to reach her.

 

In the third, Finn notices a giant named Benandonner (or the Red Man) over on Staffa, and the two men throw insults at each other. Finn starts throwing rocks and bits of land into the water in order to create a land bridge so that he can fight the giant, but Finn notices once he’s started across the sea that Benandonner is far bigger than he initially assumed. As such, he flees back to Ireland, were his wife Oona, is waiting for him. Together, they rearrange the house in order to trick Benandonner, who is coming to fight Finn, into thinking that Finn is an even bigger giant than the other man. Eventually, they trick Benandonner, and this giant flees back to Staffa, destroying the land bridge to prevent Finn from following him home.

 

Next, the Lia Fáil (pronounced Le-ah fall). When the Dé Danann arrived in Ireland, they brought with them four gifts for the island. One of these gifts is the Lia Fáil, the singing stone in Tara where each of the high kinds of Ireland would be crowned.   

 

The final example in book one is the Ard Rí (pronounced Ard ree). Ard Rí is just the Irish word for high king of Ireland.

 

Finally, the eighth book. Although the books in the middle of the series tend to name-drop Irish mythology less frequently than the first book, Colfer brings the series full circle with the eighth book.

 

In the following quotation, Holly is describing how the ritual Opal is attempting to complete at Fowl Manor could destroy the world.

 

“If that lock were to be opened, then Danu, the Earth mother, would surrender her magic to the air in a blast of power that would annihilate every human on the surface, and the People would be safe forever."

 

As previously mentioned, the Dé Danann received their name from the goddess Danu, the mother goddess of all the Tuatha Dé Danann. As I will describe later, the People, just like the Dé Danann, were driven underground into a less powerful state after a war with the humans.

 

**II. References to the content of Irish mythology and history**

 

The most obvious reference to Irish mythology is the story of the People. In Irish mythology, eventually, the godlike Dé Danann are vanquished by the human armies of Ireland. The Gaels (human population) form a treaty with the immortals (a cairdes-relationship). The Dé Danann end up fleeing to live underground in fairy mounds, and morph into the Aos Sidhe (pronounced Ow Shee), a new existence in which they have gone from being gods to being fairies. Similarly, the People were far more powerful when they lived above ground before the war (as indicated by the power level of Qwan as opposed to the power level of general warlocks in Haven) and now have been driven to live below the Earth in Haven.

 

The next characteristic of Irish mythology that pops up is the power of invisibility. In Irish mythology, the Dé Danann were said to be able to summon the Féth Fíada (pronounced Fey Fadda). Féth denotes mist whereas Fíada translates to knower/lord/master, essentially meaning that this is a magical mist that allows the Dé Danann to cloak themselves from mortal presence. This mirrors the People’s ability to shield themselves from mortal eye.

 

Finally, the time stop is the most easy-to-discern influence from Irish mythology on the People’s abilities. In an old Irish anecdote entitled, “The Taking of the Otherworld Mound”, the story follows the Dé Danann man, Oengus/Mac Óc, as he attempts to find a fairy mound for himself in the final days of the rivalry between the Dé Danann and the humans. The Dagda, the king of the Dé Danann, tells him that there are no more fairy mounds available, and Oengus pleads with him to allow him to stay in the Dagda’s mound for just one day and night. The Dagda agrees, but when he returns during the next day, Oengus bars the door and slyly tells him, “that the whole world is day and night, and that is what has been granted me [in this fairy mound]". By interpreting a day and night to mean all eternity (as day and night make up all of time), Oengus has tricked the Dagda into giving up his fairy mound, forcing the other to roam the Earth (side note: the Dagda was Oengus’ father so… the holidays might be a bit awkward). In John Carey’s essay on this tale and the role of thaumaturgy, or time magic, in Irish mythology, Carey writes:

 

“[There are other versions of this tale, and] the differences between the... versions are significant, but a basic theme is common to them all: that Oengus won the [fairy mound] from its former owner through the power of the word, whether by verbal dexterity or magic... Furthermore, the speeches through which Oengus gains his triumph all have to do with the manipulation of time: in the Old Irish tales, he tricks the incumbent into granting in perpetuity what he thinks he has only yielded for twenty-four hours; in Altram Tighe Da Mheadar, he places Elcmar under an  enchantment which will last until the end of time (the fusion of moon and sun). Similar formulae occur elsewhere in the literature, indicating that the underlying concepts had a broader significance in the tradition.”

 

In short, a common theme in Irish mythology is the manipulation of time, which is similar to the time stop in the first book of Artemis Fowl, and world play, such as how the series is full of puns, Artemis besting people through exploiting the loophole in an agreement via a technicality of language, and the importance of the orders given by a human to a fairy once the fairy has been given permission to enter a dwelling.

 

In terms of the fairies’ ability to heal, speak any language, aversion to the day, and the mesmer, those are more difficult to find direct influences. In the case of healing, an argument could be made that there is a connection to the rejuvenating powers of the Lia Fáil, or the healer god, Dian Cécht. One cannot be sure. In the case of the gift of tongues, perhaps Ogma, the Dé Danann god of tongues, could be an influence, or perhaps the Aos Sidhe form of the Dé Danann where they exist as the fae could be where Colfer draws inspiration. In the case of the aversion to the day, the Dé Danann/Aos Sí took great care not to be sighted by humans after their defeat, and as such, tended not to go out during the day, despite having the gift of the Féth Fíada. Finally, the mesmer. As the Dé Danann were so powerful, the could influence the will of humans. In terms of the role of eye contact, perhaps Balor, the one-eyed Fomorian giant who could freeze a man by transfixing him in his gaze, played a role; Colfer does describe humans who are under the mesmer as feeling unable to move. However, these are areas where the source of Colfer’s inspiration becomes difficult to pinpoint, and it is just as likely that these elements of the People sprung from Colfer’s imagination rather than the pages of Irish mythology.

 

**III. Names and fun facts**

 

This is the portion I was most excited to write!

 

First, I shall go over a cool consistency in the books. When Colfer introduces the entangled family history of the Fowls and Butlers, he describes the first Fowl as being Lord Hugo de Folé, a man who came to Ireland during the Norman crusades mentioned in the history section. Due to that invasion from Normandy, about ⅙ of modern Irish last names have a Norman origin. Included in this ⅙ of names is Fitzgerald, Burke, Power, Grace, and _Butler_. Not only does Butler’s name check out as a pun on his profession, his name checks out as also being of Norman origin! Of course, it would make sense for both the Fowls and the Butlers to have Norman roots last-name-wise if their ancestors came over to Ireland during the Norman invasion, and it’s cool that Colfer kept that legacy consistent.

 

Next, the last name Fowl. Okay, I know that Colfer specifically stated that he chose the last name because he wanted a memorable name, and he thought that the phrase, “Fowl by name, foul by nature”, was funny.

 

 _However_ , even if he didn’t choose the last name on purpose, there is another root that could be interesting to explore, fanfiction-wise.

 

In Philip Luckcombe’s, “A Tour Through Ireland”, he describes that Ireland went through various name changes over the years. Even though “Éire/éiriú” is generally thought of as the “‘’’old’’’’ name for Ireland, there were many, many more! About fourteen more, in fact. The fifth name of the island was Fódhla, and this came from a queen of the Dé Danann who was a patron goddess and protector of the island. The Irish name Fódhla is pronounced foe-la, which isn’t terribly far off from the last name Fowl. In fact, if Folé was the pre-anglicised version of the Fowl name, then Fódhla and Folé are even closer matches for pronunciation, actually! I know it’s not intentional, but the idea of Artemis having both his first and last name come from two protector/hunter goddesses (one from Greek mythology, one from Irish), is rather neat, in my opinion.

  


I suppose those are all my thoughts on the matter. If you have anything you’d like clarified, please let me know! I am always available to go over one of the myths, clarify pronunciation, or talk about the series. If you have a fanfiction in the works where you’d like to draw from Irish mythology, then I’d love to read it, too!

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation edit for fódhla has been updated courtesy of @emerpenny on tumblr's info!


	2. Sources/bibliography

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here's my sources! If you need anything clarified/can't access something, lmk and i'll message you the pdf on tumblr or smthn

**“History - Wars and Conflicts - Plantation of Ulster - Ireland before the Plantation - The Bardic Poets.” BBC, BBC,** [ **www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/plantation/ireland_before/ib04.shtml** ](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/plantation/ireland_before/ib04.shtml) **.**

 

**“Fili.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998,** [ **www.britannica.com/art/fili-ancient-Gaelic-poets** ](http://www.britannica.com/art/fili-ancient-Gaelic-poets) **.**

 

**Cahill, Sean. The Politics of the Irish Language Under the English and British Governments. as.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu-as/irelandHouse/documents/0111-0126_PoliticsOfTheIrishLanguage.pdf.**

 

**O'Conor, Norreys Jephson. “The Early Irish Fairies and Fairyland.”** **_The Sewanee Review_ ** **, vol. 28, no. 4, 1920, pp. 545–557.** **_JSTOR_ ** **,** [ **www.jstor.org/stable/27533351** ](http://www.jstor.org/stable/27533351) **.**

 

“ To the modern reader, the words "Irish Fairy" undoubtedly call to mind a description such as that given by a writer in the Atlantic Monthly

" 'It was a little thing, sure, no bigger than a thimble. It had a red cap on it and two golden shoes with curly toes. It had on a coat, too, as green as an apple, and its little breeks were as blue as Granny's eyes’ " 

 

" To an Irishman of the thirteenth century, the little man would not seem a Fairy at all, unless Fairy kinship were suggested by the color of the coat. The Fairies of ancient Ireland belonged to a race known as Tuatha De Danaan, People of the God whose Mother was Dana, and they were of the size of mortals, or even larger. The Tuatha De Danaan came to Ireland, legend says, from "the northern isles of the world, where they had been learning lore and magic and druidism and wizardry and cunning until they surpassed the sages of the arts of heathendom." They first conquered the people who inhabited Erin, and later were victorious over a mighty race of pirates [the Fomorians]. The struggle between the De Danaans and the pirates has been interpreted by modern commentators as symbolizing the conflict between the gods of light and those of darkness, for the Tuatha De Danaan, in spite of being treated by early writers as though they were human beings, show traces of divine power; indeed, the gods of the ancient Irish seem to be confused with these invaders from the north. When the De Danaans landed they burned their ships, "so that from this", the story says, "it was thought they had come in clouds of mist" [Féth fíada]. They brought with them from their former home four treasures of magic virtue. The first of these was the Stone of Fal [Lia Fáil], which "was wont to roar under every king who was taking the king ship in Ireland".

  
  


**“Tuatha Dé Danann.”** **_Encyclopædia Britannica_ ** **, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Apr. 2011, www.britannica.com/topic/Tuatha-De-Danann. Accessed 27 May 2019.**

 

**"Tuatha De Danann." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™, Columbia University Press, 2018. Research in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A69232887/MSIC?u=mlin_m_needhamhs &sid=MSIC&xid=a34c294c. Accessed 27 May 2019.**

 

**MacCulloch, John Arnott. The Religion of the Ancient Celts. The Floating Press, 2009. Chapter V.**

“The meaning formerly given to Tuatha Dé Danann was "the men of science who were gods," danann being here connected with dán , "knowledge." But the true meaning is "the tribes or folk of the goddess Danu," 199 which agrees with the cognates Tuatha or Fir Dea , "tribes or men of the goddess." The name was given to the group, though Danu had only three sons, Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharbar. Hence the group is also called fir tri ndea , "men of the three gods." 200 The equivalents in Welsh story of Danu and her folk are Dôn and her children. We have seen that though they are described as kings and warriors by the annalists, traces of their divinity appear. In the Cúchulainn cycle they are supernatural beings and sometimes demons, helping or harming men, and in the Fionn cycle all these characteristics are ascribed to them. But the theory which prevailed most is that which connected them with the hills or mounds, the last resting-places of the mighty dead. 

 

**Carey, John. "Fomoiri", in The Celts: History, Life, and Culture. Edited by John T. Koch. ABC-CLIO, 2012. p.355**

 

“While fairies may be designated in various ways in Modern IRISH, the core terminology is based on Old Irish SÍD, ‘fairy mound’. Nonetheless, it would probably be misleading to see the aes síde ‘people of the fairy mounds’ of Old and Middle IRISH LITERATURE as simply and precisely the same phenomenon as the fairies of later Irish tradition. Although the two are generally to be equated, the more complex portrayals in the early literature of individual members of the aes síde—who are largely synonymous with the TUATH DÉ—function in a different manner to that of folk tradition (see FOMOIRI). Other Old Irish or Middle Irish words for fairies exist, notably LUCHORP(ÁN), and several others with a range of meanings: abacc, siabair, sirite. The fairy tradition of modern Ireland (ÉIRE) is extensive. T. Crofton Croker collected and printed several volumes of fairy lore, under the title Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, in the 1820s and 1830s.”

 

“Fomoiri is a name that designates a race of hostile beings frequently mentioned in Irish legend; they usually appear to be conceived as supernatural entities, and are often described as being monstrous in appearance. The first element in the name is clearly the preposition fo ‘under’, but the second is more mysterious. Medieval etymologists took it to be muir ‘sea’, with an alternative interpretation of the second syllable as mór ‘big’ reflecting fomoiri as a synonym for ‘giants’. The Fomoiri feature in legendary-historical sources as the enemies both of the first settlers of Ireland (ÉRIU) and of some early Irish kings; they also appear as the fierce and sometimes monstrous inhabitants of other islands. In what is probably the earliest reference to them, a possibly 7th-century elegy for Mess-Telmann, a prince of Leinster (LAIGIN), they are spoken of as dwelling ‘under the worlds of men’. In CATH MAIGE TUIRED (‘The [Second] Battle of Mag Tuired’), the Fomoiri are portrayed as a race opposed to and contrasting with the TUATH DÉ. This dichotomy has been seen as reflecting an Indo-European myth of ‘the war of the gods’, but seems more likely to be a concept originating with Cath Maige Tuired itself, in which the Fomoiri are identified with the Vikings. Other sources indicate an overlap or, indeed, identity between the Fomoiri and Tuath Dé: The Fomoiri are called ‘the champions of the síd’ and the phrase ‘demons and Fomóraig’ is glossed ‘i.e. Tuath Dé Donann’ (Lebor Gabála Érenn 32–3). The main distinguishing factor seems to be that the Fomoiri are always portrayed in a negative light, whereas the Tuath Dé are only occasionally cast in this rôle. The Middle Irish Sex Aetates Mundi includes fomóraig among the monstrous races descended from Noah’s son Ham, in a context that suggests that the word is used as an equivalent of ‘giants’.”

**"The Giant's Causeway". The Dublin Penny Journal, issue 5 (1832), p.33**

[ **https://www.jstor.org/stable/30002626?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents** ](https://www.jstor.org/stable/30002626?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents) **(** should be free, let me know if you want a copy and the link didn’t work) 

[**https://steamregister.com/giants-causeway-geology-and-legend/**](https://steamregister.com/giants-causeway-geology-and-legend/) (also goes over myth(s))

**“Introduction.” A Tour through Ireland; Wherein the Present State of That Kingdom Is Considered; and the Most Noted Cities, Towns, Seats, Loughs, &c. Described, by Philip Luckombe, T. Lowndes, 1780, p. Vii.**

“The first name which was given to Ireland was 'Inis na bhfiodhbhadh,' that is to say Island of the woods; and the person who called that name to it was a warrior of the people of Nin, son of Bel, who came from him to spy out Ireland, and on his coming thither he found it to be all one forest-wood.

The second name was 'Crioch na bhfuineadhach,' from its being at the limit or end of the three divisions of the world which had then been discovered; 'fuin' indeed, from the Latin word 'finis,' being equivalent to 'end.'

The third name was ‘Inis Ealga,' that is, noble island; for 'inis' and 'oiléan' are equivalent, and likewise 'ealga' and 'uasal': and it is during the time of the Firbolg it was usual to have that name on it.

The fourth name was Éire, and it is said that wherefore that name is called to it, according to a certain author, is from this word 'Aeria,' which was an old name for the island which is now called Creta or Candia; and why that author thinks that is because the posterity of Gaedhealglas [Gaels] dwelt in that island some space of time after Sru, son of Easru, son of Gaedheal, had been driven out of Egypt: and, moreover, Aere is given as a name for Egypt whence the Gael proceeded.

However, it is the common opinion of antiquaries that why it is called Éire is from the name of the queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann [Éiru] who was in the land at the time of the coming of the Clanna Míleadh [Milesians] into it: Éire, daughter of Dealbhaoth, was her name, and it is she was wife to Mac Gréine who was called Ceathúr who was king of Ireland when the sons of Míleadh came into it

The fifth name was Fódhla, from a queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who was called Fódhla: it is she was wife to Mac Cécht, whose proper name was Teathúr.”

**"Fódla." Oxford Reference. . ,. Date of access 27 May. 2019, <https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095825980>**

Fodla: Irish goddess, one of the three divine eponyms of Ireland, along with her sisters Banba and Ériu, and thus one of the poetic names for Ireland; she personifies the power of the land. A member of the immortal Tuatha Dé Danann, she meets the invading, mortal Milesians at Slieve Felim in what is now Co. Limerick and asks that Ireland be named for her; later she is revealed to be married to Mac Cécht, a prominent warrior of the Tuatha Dé. Her mother is Eirnin (sometimes Ernmas). The Highland Scottish place-name Atholl incorporates her name [ScG Ath Fodhla, the next Ireland]. Fódla is the conventional personification of Ireland in the poetry of Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn (1550–1617). See OLLAM FODLA.

**“Milesians.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Oct. 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/Milesians. Accessed 27 May 2019.**

“Milesians, in Irish mythical history, name for the people who drove the race of gods, the Tuatha Dé Danann, below ground. The Milesians are thus the ancestors of the Celtic population of Ireland and it is stressed that they had an ancient right to the island when they came. According to the Medieval Irish historians the gods were driven from the surface and into the old burial mounds, where they were supposed to live on. The word for burial mound is “side,” pronounced “shee,” and this word is used for the otherworld in Irish tales up to the present. Thus, a banshee means a “woman from the burial mound.””

**Colum, Padraic. A Treasury of Irish Folklore: the Stories, Traditions, Legends, Humor, Wisdom, Ballads and Songs of the Irish People. Wings Books, 1992.**

“It should be remembered that about a sixth of Irish names are of Norman origin — Fitzgerald, Burke, Butler, Power, Grace” (xi)

**Carey, John. “Time, Memory, and the Boyne Necropolis.” Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, vol. 10, 1990, pp. 24–36. JSTOR,** [ **www.jstor.org/stable/20557214** ](http://www.jstor.org/stable/20557214) **.**

An Old Irish anecdote entitled "The Taking of the

Otherworld Mound" provides us with a brief but intriguing account of the

polity of the supernatural inhabitants of Ireland, the immortal beings

variously designated by such phrases as Tuatha D? "tribes of the gods" or

aes sidhe "people of the Otherworld mounds." After the Gaels have

conquered the surface of Ireland they are still obliged to establish a treaty relationship (cairdes) with the immortals, in order successfully to raise their

crops and herds. The king of the Tuatha D? is the Dagda, and it is he who apportions the sí-mounds among his followers, reserving for himself the most important; this is Bruig na B?inne or Sid in Broga, the tumulus now known as Newgrange in County Meath. The Dagda's son Oengus, also called the Mac Óc, petitions his father for a dwelling of his own;

"I have nothing for you," said the Dagda;2 "I have finished the distribution." "Obtain for me, then," said the Mac Óc, "just a day and a night in your own dwelling." That was granted him, then,  "Now go to your companions," said the Dagda, "for you have used up your time." "It is manifest," said he, "that the whole world is day and night, and that is what has been granted me." Then the Dagda went forth, and the Mac Óc remains in his sidhe.

[There are other versions of this tale, and] the differences between the... versions are significant, but a basic theme is common to them all: that Oengus won the [fairy mound] from its former owner through the power of the word, whether by verbal dexterity or magic... Furthermore, the speeches through which Oengus gains his triumph all have to do with the manipulation of time: in the Old Irish tales, he tricks the incumbent into granting in perpetuity what he thinks he has only yielded for twenty-four hours; in Altram Tighe Da Mheadar, he places Elcmar under an  enchantment which will last until the end of time (the fusion of moon and sun). Similar formulae occur elsewhere in the literature, indicating that the underlying concepts had a broader significance in the tradition.”

**Rabinovitch, Dina. The Guardian. 29 June 2005.**

'It would more generally be a girl thing …. But I was into fairies with axes; I was never into them flitting round the garden. Because the fairies of Irish mythology are not like that at all, they are very warlike. Always up for a fight.' - Eoin Colfer in an interview

  
  


**Artemis Fowl book series quotes/citations**

 

**Book 8, chapter 7**

**“** "If that lock were to be opened, then Danu, the Earth mother, would surrender her magic to the air in a blast of power that would annihilate every human on the surface, and the People would be safe forever."

―Holly Short

**Book 1, page 68-69**

Finally the coast loomed ahead of her. The old country. Éiriú, the land where time began. The most magical place on the planet. It was here, ten thousand years ago, that the ancient fairy race, the Dé Danann, had battled against the demon Fomorians, carving the famous Giants’ Causeway with the strength of their magical blasts. It was here that the Lia Fáil stood, the rock at the center of the universe, where the fairy kings and later the human Ard Rí were crowned.

**Book 1, page 15**

Indeed, there were several eminent linguists of the opinion that this was how the common noun had originated. The first record of this unusual arrangement was when Virgil Butler had been contracted as servant, bodyguard, and cook to Lord Hugo de Folé for one of the first great Norman crusades.

**Book 1, page 126**

The centerpiece of the Fowl estate was a renovated late-medieval/early-modern castle, built by Lord Hugh Fowl in the fifteenth century.

 

**Book 2**

The original Fowl castle had been built by Aodhán Fowl in the fifteenth century overlooking low-lying country on all sides. A tactic borrowed from the Normans.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> kjhfskf i know this is SO long but i really mean the bit at the end!! I really, really, really love history and mythology in general, so if you've already written something/are in the process of writing a fic that explores either of the topics in Artemis Fowl, by all means, drop a link. Even if that's not the case, I always appreciate comments, so don't hesitate to ask a question/just say hi :)


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